Back in 2014, one of the loudest and let’s face it GREATEST bands of all time released a little record called The Clarity, however Sleep’s last “proper full length” record came out well over a decade ago. The absolutely phenomenal Dopesmoker. Sleep is a band that I don’t just listen to casually. I need to know nothing/ no one will distract me. Sure I’m listening to The Sciences at work on my dinner break, but I have the volume on a suitable setting which means I’m not deafening myself at work. I’ll save that for when I’m at home.

The Sciences is brilliantly loud, as ever. It’s such a great record and of course they’d release it on 4/20- there’s no better band to do so really. If I was someone who was just getting into Sleep and The Sciences was my first time listening to them, well I’d be pretty happy. My mind would be truly blown. I’m getting the same kind of goosebumps I got when I first heard them a long, long time ago. The Sciences has been released on Jack White’s Third Man label. Please don’t be a snob and think Sleep have gone soft on us or have turned the volume down. They’ve done the total opposite. They’ve got louder and braver with the new music, and it just makes you want to sit in the shade playing this as loud as possible.

Sonic Titan is one of my favourites so far. I’ve only listened to the record a handful of times so far, but I can safely say that Sleep releasing a surprise record (and maybe a generous middle finger to Record Store Day) today is one of the best things to happen this year, musically. I honestly wasn’t really anticipating a new record from them so soon, and to finally have something new to totally immerse myself in for a very long time has made me incredibly happy.

Al’s vocals on this record are as sharp and as brutal as ever. I’ve been fascinated with his voice for so long (in both Sleep and OM) and to hear something new from them, and to really take in how captivating his vocals are is nothing short of amazing. I love the way Sleep make you feel like you are being lulled into a false sense of security, then they just fry your brains with the sheer loudness and boldness of the songs. Sonic Titan lasts around 12 minutes, and you feel like you have been captured. It feels like you’re in a film or something that isn’t part of you. They pull and rip you apart with this song, and they do it so effortlessly. How can three people make this much noise? Very, very easily.

The sheer heaviness in their music clearly has no signs of ever fading away, and I think that is part of why us fans are so loyal and so obsessed with them. They just give you this perfect escape route in your mind which obliterates everything you’ve known before. Sleep is comforting but will make you feel on edge. You don’t know what is going to happen next. You don’t know if there is going to be a tame spell or if they are going to just annihilate your ears. The thing is, it’s so enjoyable. You couldn’t tear yourself away if you tried. Why would you even want to?!

Sleep are a band that can soothe any mood that you’re in (much like the act of sleep) and they are such a powerful band. They don’t make you feel like it is a chore to listen to a 12 minute song. They make you feel like you are part of something exceptionally grand. The songs are as big and as loud as ever. The songs feel like treasured moments that you want to last for all of time. 12 minutes just doesn’t seem long enough.

Antarcticans Thawed is an absolute beast of a song. It’s slightly under 15 minutes and it builds up like a dramatic film score. It’s the kind of record that you HAVE to play in order. Do not skip songs. Commit to listening and investing in this record. Absorb every emotion they hurl at you as you listen to these songs. Go with them on this journey into the wild and unknown. It’s an otherworldly pleasure that cannot be taken from you, so take it all in.